ARTICLES ABOUT CENTRAL AMERICA BY DATE - PAGE 4

MANAGUA (Reuters) - Nicaraguan lawmakers granted a 50-year concession to a Chinese company on Thursday for it to design, build and manage a shipping channel across the Central American nation that would compete with the Panama Canal. The $40 billion proposal by HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co Ltd's (HKND Group) calls for linking Nicaragua's Caribbean and Pacific coasts and includes plans for two free-trade zones, a railway, an oil pipeline and airports. The government says the canal, which has been discussed for decades, could boost the country's gross domestic product by up to 15 percent.

It's hardly the type of remark that invites a nuanced dialogue: "Why bother having children if you never want to see or speak to them? Why not just get a goat that eats money and then hire some Swedish lady to pet the goat all day?" But it sprang from the fingers of Jezebel.com writer Lindy West, writing in response to a much-discussed New York Post story about parents who send nannies to cover school fundraisers and other volunteer duties. And it's a remark that can launch a conversation - this time without the finger wagging.

Heads up, parents: Looking for an exotic summer destination that's still kid-friendly? Coppola Resorts has a few ideas to keep everyone happy this vacation season. First off, the big one: Kids eat free from June 1 to Nov. 20 at all three Central American Coppola properties -- the Turtle Inn in Belize; the Blancaneaux Lounge, also in Belize; and the La Lancha in Guatemala. The deal applies to kids under 12, but don't worry if your brood is older -- ages 12 to 18 get 50 percent off. On top of the free dining, there's also some kid-focused attractions at the resorts.

(Repeats Saturday story without changes) * Closes out three-day Latin America tour * Obama administration mulling natural gas exports * Opposed by some U.S. interests By Steve Holland and Isabella Cota SAN JOSE, May 4 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said in Central America on Saturday that the United States might be able to help relieve that region's growing energy demands by exporting liquefied natural gas, a move opposed by some U.S. businesses and environmentalists.

TEGUCIGALPA, April 22 (Reuters) - A major outbreak of plant fungus roya, or coffee leaf rust, will have a more damaging impact on production in Central America than previously feared, the head of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) said on Monday. ICO executive director Roberio Oliveira Silva said that roughly 3 million 60-kg bags of coffee would be lost to roya this season in Central America, which accounts for about one fifth of the world's coffee output. "The impact on global production isn't so alarming in relation to the social and economic impact this region is experiencing," Silva told Reuters in Tegucigalpa.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart de Mexico , expects to spend up to $1.4 billion on investments in 2013, but in a break with tradition the company declined to say how many stores it plans to open this year. Walmex, as the company controlled by Wal-Mart Stores Inc is known locally, is under investigation in the United States and Mexico for allegedly bribing Mexican officials to speed up store openings. The company said on Thursday it expects to increase total store space by 8 percent to 9 percent in Mexico and 6 percent in Central America this year.

By Eric M. Johnson Jan 25 (Reuters) - Ancient corn farmers living in pit houses among arid canyons of what is now Utah may have sweetened their lives with a chocolate derivative imported from the tropics of Central America, recent archeological findings suggest. An archeologist and team of chemists analyzing the remains of an eighth century village near present-day Moab found theobromine and caffeine, compounds found in a cacao tree native to Central America and from which chocolate is derived.